I heard someone say this week that has had thinking about how I love people. They said, "Don't get distracted by who's in power, what's on the news, or all the debating and opinions around you. Instead, draw a circle 30 feet (10 metres) around yourself and love everyone inside it."
Yet so often we don't love like that because we allow our hearts to focus on the annoying, negative and even strange behaviour of others. As a result within a short space of time, we are filled with unlovely thoughts and emotions towards others. Our opinions and wanting to be right can get in the way of love. We can be correct but not right, and can end up only surrounding ourselves and loving those people who agree with us."
We do this when we make our opinions more important than the people before us and when we have the right words but the wrong heart towards others.
"We become in our lives what we do with our love. Those who are becoming love don't throw people off roofs; they lower them through them instead." – Bob Goff
Jesus allows His love and acceptance of us to do all the talking for Him, and every day, we get the opportunity to do the same. He said, "Love your neighbour as yourself," meaning we love those in our world, those we like being around and get along with and also those we don't understand. The ones we disagree with and the ones we may feel are wrong about many things.
God said His love in us never fails and that that we are made with an immense capacity to love if we open up our hearts.
What a difference it would make if we decided to love like Jesus and asked, "How can I show love today" and then kept on thinking that throughout our day. We'd start to "spread love everywhere we'd go. Letting no one ever come to us without leaving happier." - Mother Teresa.
Today "Don't waste time bothering about whether you feel like you "love" your neighbour – just act as if you do. For love is not something you feel, it is something you do. (C.S. Lewis)
"If we have got the true love of God abroad in our hearts, we will show it in our lives. We will not have to go up and down the earth proclaiming it. We will show it in everything we say or do." (Dwight Moody)
God says love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Prayer: Lord, would you please help me know and experience how much you love me today so that I can then love those around me in a greater way. In Jesus name Amen.